Global directives from executives on Amazon’s return-to-office policy reportedly give managers the power to fire employees who don’t comply with the company’s decision to enforce office work three days a week.
A report from Insiderclaims the update was communicated internally to managers in mid-October, several months after the company introduced the new hybrid work rules.
According to the notice, managers should first engage in conversations with employees who are not meeting their office goals.
Amazon’s RTO just got serious
From there, managers may ultimately have to take disciplinary action against offending employees, potentially resulting in the termination of their contracts.
The message reads (via Insider): “If the employee is not immediately and sustainably present after the initial interview, managers should conduct a follow-up interview within a reasonable time frame,” which should be between one and two weeks, according to Amazon.
The notice goes on to detail how managers should emphasize that returning to the office three days a week is a requirement of their job, and that “continued non-compliance without a legitimate reason may result in disciplinary action, up to and including the termination of your contract . .”
The demand was first communicated in February 2023, about a month before the company carried out its third round of mass layoffs, this time totaling about 9,000, bringing the season’s total to about 27,000.
Starting in May, employees used the internet and their workplaces to express their dissatisfaction. More than 30,000 people signed an internal petition and at the end of May employees at one location staged a strike.
TechRadar Pro has asked Amazon to confirm its latest decision to implement the termination as part of its disciplinary action for non-compliance with the RTO, but the company did not immediately respond.
If the report is true, it wouldn’t be the only company doing this. Earlier this month, Roblox CEO David Baszucki said employees who don’t comply with the policy should also be prepared for termination.
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Through Insider